Coiler drum for rolling mills and the like



Feb. 19, 1952 J.' F. FERM COILER DRUM FOR ROLLING MILLS AND THE LIKE Filed April 4, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet l Nv A wn VENTOR.

. Jos-1N F.' FareM Feb. 19, 1952 J. F. PERM 2,586,527

COILER DRUM FOR ROLLING MILLS AND THE LIKE Filed April 4, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 .Namur-bx I Ill" INVENTOR. JOHN E FEEM Wav/,aww

Feb. 19, 1952 J. F. FERM COILER DRUM FOR ROLLING MILLS AND THE LIKE Filed April 4, 195o 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR.

- Jor-i N F.' Farah/1 Wfl/Lg L Ag H TTORNEYS.

Patented Feb. 19, 14952 COILER DRUM FOR ROLLING MILLS I AND THE LIKE John F. Ferm, Midland, Pa., assigner to Crucible Steel Company of America, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application April 4, 1950, Serial No. 153,821

9 Claims.

This invention relates to coiling devices for coiling metal strip, and more particularly to a coiling reel or drum of novel construction adapted to receive hot metal strip material and coil it within a heat retaining furnace as it emerges from a rolling mill.

The invention is particularly applicable to rolling mills of the reversing type for hot reducing a metal slab into an elongated strip of a thickness suitable for coiling. The advantages of the reversing type of hot strip mill over the continuous types of mills employing a series of mill stands in tandem, are many; including a substantial reduction in capital investment and operating costs, and in the amount of equipment and floor space required. For minimizing the length of the runout tables on each side of the mill as well as for minimizing loss of heat and temperature of the stock being rolled, coilers are mounted on each side of the mill stand above the run-out tables, so that after the hot metal slab has been reduced by flat rolling on the run-out tables, to a thickness suitable for coiling, the material is fed onto the coilers and thus rolled down to the ultimate thickness required. Although the coiling of the hot strip will reduce the heat loss in rolling by reason of the fact that the exposed area of the strip is only a very small fraction of the total area of the work piece, it has been found preferable to position the coilers within heat conserving chambers or furnaces, for holding the strip at temperature and to minimize scaling on the surface of the strip.

Coiling reels of the character mentioned above must of necessity operate under rather severe conditions as to temperature and stresses. That is to say, the reels must be constructed and assembled to withstand the relatively high temperatures at which the metal strip must be maintained to permit of hot rolling, and also to withstand the full weight of the work piece being rolled. In addition the reels must be so constructed as to receive and grip or hold an advancing strip end for coiling the same by rotative power applied to the reel.

Various types of coiling reels have heretofore been devised and employed for purposes aforesaid, including reels comprising notched or grooved drums, or comprising a series of canted blades extending between anchoring discs, etc., but such constructions have proved unsatisfactory owing to rupture and failure in service resulting from unequal stresses caused by unequal rates of thermal expansion and contraction in various portions, and caused also by the stock 2 gripping arrangements employed, as well as from other causes.

In accordance with my invention I have devised a coiling reel designed to eliminate the objectionable features and service failures of prior constructions. The reel construction of my invention consists, in its essentials, of a central blade member of hollow, reinforced construction, and of flat elliptical section, and having integral therewith an axially extending sleeve for mounting on a driving shaft, and to the opposite sides of which are respectively hinged, a pair of arcuately shaped peripheral blade members, likewise of hollow, reinforced construction, each of Which cooperates with the central blade member to provide oppositely extending slots therebetween for receiving the leading edge of the strip to be coiled. The various blades are so mounted and interconnected by straps at the slot ends, that unequal rates of thermal expansion and contraction of the interlinked blades can take place Without exerting any disrupting distorting forces thereon.

For a more complete understanding of my invention, reference is made to the following detailed description thereof, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part of the application and illustrating the preferred embodiment thereof.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view in end elevation of a coiling reel constructed in accordance with the preferred form of the invention; while Figs. 2 and 3 are views in axial section thereof as taken at 2-2 and 3 3 of Fig. l. Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken at 4-4 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is an exploded view in perspective of the coiling reel components, comprising the central and peripheral blades aforesaid.

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal, sectional elevation through a portion of a four-high, reversing hot strip mill embodying a coiling reel in accordance with the invention, this view including the reducing and backing up rolls of the mill stand, together with portions of the run-out tables on opposite sides of the mill stand, respectively, and a coiling reel and furnace housing assembly and appurtenant components in accordance with the invention.

Referring te Figs. 1 te 5 inclusive, che ceiling reel comprises the aforesaid central blade member l0 and peripheral blade members Il and I2. The central blade member I0 is of hollow, shelllike construction, and of elongated and roughly elliptical sectional contour throughout its length,

as shown more particularly in Figs. 3 and 5. It consists, to this end, of oppositely disposed surface portions I3, I4, of outwardly bowed configuration, sloping to common junctures along the opposite lateral edges thereof, as at I5, I6. Extending axially through the central leaf member I is a sleeve I1 formed integral with the upper and lower surface portions I3, I4, as at I8, I9, Fig. 3, this sleeve member terminating at its opposite ends in bushings 20, 2i, for reception of a water-cooled drive shaft 221, Fig. 2, keyed thereto. for rotatably driving the drum. The bushings 20, 2I are formed integral with end plates a, 2Ia of substantially elliptical contour.

Each of the peripheral blade members II, I2, is likewise constructed in shell-like form, but is of uniform, arcuately shaped, sectional configuration throughout its length, as is clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 5. To this end each peripheral blade member such for example as II, comprises outer and inner surface portions 23, 24, the former being of substantially semicircular, cylindrical contour, and the latter of slightly concave contour, these surface portions; coalescing in a lip portion and in a downwardly extending hinge portion 25 for hinging the same to the central leaf member as explained below.

By way of internal reinforcement, eachof the peripheral blade members has integral with its inner surface a series of axially spaced, peripherally extending, upstanding ribs as at 21, 23. The blade members I 0-I2 inc., may be cast to shape as shown, each being a one-piece casting, and may be composed of a corrosion and heat resisting steel for the outer blades particularly, while the central blade may be of carbon steel, inasmuch as the central blade will not be subjected to temperatures much above 1700 F. while the outer blades may be exposed to temperatures of the order of i800 to 1850 F.

The peripheral blade members II, I2, are assembled upon the central blade member I0 in a manner such as to permit individual and free expansion and contraction of each of the component blades, thereby to eliminate the setting up of excessive stresses in and between the assembled components, due to unequal rates of thermal expansion and contraction. To this end, the central blade member I0 has formed along its oppositely disposed longitudinal edges I5 and I6, two or a series of longitudinally spaced, hinge segments, as at 29, 30, provided with aligned bores as at 3l and spaced apart by means of cutouts, as at 32, Fig. 5. The hinge segments 29 provided along one edge of the central blade I0, are adapted to interleave and mesh with upstanding hinge segments 33, formed integral with the peripheral leaf member I2, on the inner surface 34 thereof; while similar hinge segments 35, formed integral with the remaining leaf member I I, on the inner surface 24 thereof, are adapted to interleave and mesh with the hinge segments 30 formed along the opposite edge of the leaf member I0. The hinge segments 33 on leaf member i2 are provided with aligned bores as at 55, while the hinge segments 35 on the leaf member II, are likewise provided with aligned bores as at 31, for hingedly securing the leaf members II and I2, respectively, to the opposite edges 30 and 29 of the central leaf member I0, by means of pintles 38 and 39, Fig. 3, extending respectively through the bores 31, 3I, and 36, 35a, of the interleaved hinge segments referred to. These pintles 38, 39, are provided on their opposite ends with locking cotter pins as at 40, Fig. 1.

Thus it is seen that the peripheral blade members II, I2, are respectively hinged to the opposite edges i5 and I8 of the central blade member I0, whereby each blade is free to expand or contract in the transverse direction without exerting any forces on the remaining blade members, in consequence of which unequal rates of thermal expansion and contraction in the various components, set up no disruptive stresses therein. In order to prevent the setting up of internal stresses in the individual leaf member components, due to heated gases entrapped therein, the peripheral leaf members II and I2 are provided with tap holes as at 4I, while the central leaf member I0 provides for gas escape through the cut-outs at 32 as supplemented by the slots 42 adjoining the cut-outs.

In order to provide oppositely extending slots 43, 44, Fig. 4, between the peripheral leaf members Il, I2, and the central leaf member I0, into which the leading edge of the hot strip issuing from the mill stand may be received, for coiling purposes, as explained below, the free edges or lips 25 and 45, of the leaf members Il and I2,

. are secured in spaced relation with respect to the central leaf member I0, in the manner most clearly shown in Fig. 3, by means of metal straps, such as 48, 41, and 43, 49, disposed in pairs at the opposite ends of the leaf components, as best shown in Fig. 5.

Straps 48 and 49, extending between the lower leaf member I2 and the central leaf member I Il, are rotatably mounted, at the opposite ends of each respectively, on tie rods 50 and 5I. Tie rod 50 is, in turn, mounted on the central leaf member Ill, extending longitudinally through bores in the end walls thereof, as shown in Fig. 3; while tie rod 5I is mounted on the peripheral leaf member I2, and extends longitudinally through bores in the end walls thereof as shown in Fig. 2. Similarly straps 45 and 41, extending between the upper leaf member I I and the central leaf member I0, are rotatably mounted on tie rods 52 and 53, the former being mounted in the upper leaf member II, as shown in Fig. l, and the latter being mounted on the central leaf member I0 as shown in Fig. 3, the assembly being the same as for the straps and tie rods 48-5I inc. The straps are heldin place on the tie rods, by means of cot'- ter pins extending through the ends of the tie rods respectively, in the manner shown at 54, Fig. 1.

It will be noted from Fig. 3, that as a result of this assembly, the peripheral blade members II and I 2 are so spaced from the central blade member I0 as to provide the aforesaid slots 43, 44, therebetween, extending substantially the entire width of the leaf members, except for the hinge connections therebetween, so that extremely deep slots are thus provided for reception of a strip end issuing from the mill stand, whereby the strip end may be received withineither of these slots and extend to a sulcient depth therein to be positively engaged for coiling purposes as explained in more detail hereinafter. Moreover, during the coiling operation, the interconnecting straps, assume the load of the strip tending to bend the peripheral leaf members toward and away from the central leaf member during coiling ofthe hot metal strip thereon, in the manner explained below. In addition, owing to the fact that the straps are pin-connected to the tie rods of the peripheral and central leaf members respectively, unequal thermal expansions and contractions of these components, are

:,eeauar the strip is bent into locking engagement with either of these cuter blade members, it will tend to follow the contour of the lip portion, thereby minimizing the tendency of the strip to buckle at this point, which would otherwise result in a loose coil after several successive wraps. This tendency is particularly pronounced in the coiling of strip in the heavier gauges.

Also the coiling reel of the drum of the invention is preferably so designed as to be statically self-balanced, i. e., to have no tendency to rotate under gravity irrespective of the rotative position in which the drum may come to rest.

. For an understanding of the mode of operation of the coiler, in coiling and uncoiling hot strip as it is fed out of and into a reversing hot strip mill, reference is now made to Fig. 6 of the drawings, wherein ls shown a portion of reversing hot strip mill, the construction and mode of operation of which is generally similar to that described in the United States Patent No. 1,977,214 to A. P. Steckel. In Fig. 6, the mill assembly comprises driven work rolls 8|, 82, operating between driven backing-up rolls 83, 84, mounted in a mill stand 85. The mill stand 85 is provided on opposite sides thereof with run-out tables 66, 61, on which are mounted, in horizontal alignment the usual driven table rolls, as at 68, 88. On each side of the mill stand there is also provided a pinch roll assembly shown generally at 88, and including lower and upper pinch rolls 89, 10, roll 89 being mounted on a fixed axis, while roll 10 is elevatable, in a manner generally described in said Steckel patent, by means of an hydraulically actuated cylinder 1I and piston 12 assembly, in a manner well understood and described in said patent, and hence requiring no further detailed description herein.

A coiling reel shown generally at 13, in accordance with the invention as above described, is mounted on a water-cooled shaft 22 (and in the manner shown in Fig. 2), above the run out table 81, on one side of the mill stand, it being understood that a similar coiling reel, is similarly mounted on the opposite side of the mill stand. The coiling reel 13 is mounted within a heatconserving chamber or furnace 14, through the side walls of which extend burner nozzles as at 15, 18, for injecting oil-dred or gas-fired flames into the furnace, as at 11, 18, thus to minimize heat loss in the hot metal strip being rolled. For deilecting the hot strip material 80, issuing from the work rolls 8|, 82, onto the coiling reel 13, a kick-up mechanism, is provided, as shown generally at 19, and comprising a deflector member 80 pivoted at one end thereof to a shaft 8|, and actuated by means of hydraulic pressure applied to a cylinder l82, the piston 83 of which elevates and depresses the deflecting member 80 through a system of linkages 84.

In the operation of the mill, a slab of hot metal is fed along the table rolls 83 in the conventional manner, and hot reduced, by successive passages between the work rolls 3 I, 82, the initial reduction being carried out by a dat rolling operation, in which the coilers are not employed, until the slab is reduced to an elongated strip of suiiicient 8 length and sumcient reduced thickness for coiling. It will be understood that during the ilat rolling operation, the kick-up mechanism 13 is so adjusted that the deiiector element Il is in the lower or horizontal position shown by the dotted lines 88a, whereby the slab or strip being rolledcan be fed back and forth. in the iiat state exclusively by means of the table rolls. Also during the flat rolling operation, the upper pinch roll 10 is normally maintained in an elevated position, and out of contact with the hot strip material being rolled.

When. however, the strip has been reduced to a thickness and increased to a length suitable for coiling, the upper pinch roll 18 is lowered, so that on the next passage of the strip between the work rolls 8|, 82. the leading edge of the strip is engaged by the pinch rolls I8, 18, and fed thence to the kick-up 13. which meantime has been actuated to the elevated position shown, for deilecting the strip end upwardly toward the coiling reel 13. The coiling reel 13 is normally rotated slowly, when not in use, in order to maintain all surface portions thereof at a uniform temperature and prevent sagging of components. However, just prior to deflection of the strip end upward to the coiler, the coiler rotation is arrested by the mill operator in such position that one of the slots I3, 44, Fig. 3, thereof, is 'positioned in alignment with the deector element 80. Thus as the strip end is fed by the pinch rolls up the face of the deilector element 8l, it enters one of the slots I3, M, of the coiler. As soon as the strip end has been received in the coiler slot, to the full depth thereof, the operator actuates the coiler drive shaft to rotate the coiler in the direction indicated by the arrow 8| there on, whereby as the coiler whips around in this direction, it bends the strip end over the projecting lip of the peripheral leaf member engaging the same, being facilitated in this action by the guide roller 82 mounted just above the kick-up 19, this bending of the strip end being effected in the manner illustrated by the dotted lines 83. In this way the strip end is bent into locking engagement with the peripheral blade of the coiler which engages the strip, so that as the rotation of the coiler 13 in the direction of shaft 8| is continued, the strip is rapidly wound up on the drum at the same rate as it issues `i'rom between the work rolls 8l. 82, of the mill stand.

The operator watches the coiling operation quite closely, and as soon as the trailing edge of the strip clears the work rolls 8|, 62, and approaches the pinch rolls 68, 10, rotation of the coiler, pinch and table rolls are stopped, and the direction of rotation reversed, thus to feed the trailing strip end back between the work rolls. this operation continuing until what was formerly the leading edge of the strip has cleared the coiler drum, and also the pinch rolls 83, 18, and the work rolls 6|, 82, at which time the direction of strip feed is again reversed, and the cycle of operations repeated in the manner aforesaid. It will be understood in this connection that the same cycle of operations is carried out by the corresponding equipment on the opposite side of the mill stand, to reel and unreel the strip onto and from the coiler on that side of the mill stand.

I claim:

1. A coiling reel of the character described.

comprising: a relatively wide and flat centralI blade member, having means thereon for mounting on a shaft, and a pair of arcuately shaped,

peripheral blade members of substantially semicylindrical. external contour, means hingedly mounting said peripheral blade members along one edge of each, to the opposite edges respectively of said central blade member said peripheral blade members being mounted with their inner faces adjacent respectively opposite faces of said central blade member and with their free edges facing in the same direction peripherally of said central blade member. and means for maintaining the free edges of said peripheral blade members in spaced relation to said central blade member. thereby to provide oppositely extending slots, for reception therein of an end of strip material to be coiled.

2. A ceiling reel of the character described. comprising: a relatively wide and flat, central blade member, substantially elliptical in transverse section, and substantially rectangular in plan, said member having means thereon for mounting on a shaft for rotation about its longitudinal axis, and a pair of arcuately shaped, peripheral blade members of substantially cylindrical, external contour, and means for hingedly mounting said peripheral blade members along one edge of each, to the opposite edges respectively of said central blade member to provide a reel of substantially cylindrical contour. and means for maintaining the free edges of said peripheral blade members in spaced relation to said central blade member, thereby to provide between said peripheral and central blade members, a pair of oppositely extending slots, adapted to receive therein an end of strip material to be coiled.

3. A ceiling reel oi the character described, comprising: a relatively wide and fiat, central blade member, substantially elliptical in transverse section, and substantially rectangular in plan, said member having means thereon for mounting on a shaft for rotation about its longitudinal axis, and a pair of arcuately shaped, peripheral blade members of substantially cylindrical, external contour, and means for hingedly mounting said peripheral blade members along one edge of each, to the opposite edges respectively of said central blade member to provide a reel of substantially cylindrical contour, and means for maintaining the free edges of said peripheral blade members in spaced relation to said central blade member, thereby to provide between said peripheral and central blade members, a pair of oppositely extending slots, adapted to receive therein an end of strip material to be coiled, said spacing means comprising metal bars extending between the ends respectively of each said peripheral blade members and said central blade member, and pin connected thereto respectively, thereby to permit of relative lateral expansions and contractions of said blade members without setting up stresses therein and therebetween.

4. A coiling reel of the character described, comprising: a relatively wide and nat, central blade member, substantially elliptical in transverse section and substantially rectangular in plan, said member being of hollow construction `and having therein a longitudinally extending tively of said central blade member, to provide a, reel assembly oi.' substantially cylindrical contour, and means for maintaining the free edges of said peripheral blade members in spaced relation to said central blade member, thereby to provide between said peripheral and central blade members a pair oi oppositely extending slots, adapted to receive therein an end of strip material to be coiled.

5. A coiling reel of the character described.'

comprising: a relatively wide and flat, central blade member, substantially elliptical in transverse section and substantially rectangular in plan, said member being of hollow construction and having therein a longitudinally extending sleeve member integral therewith, for mounting said sleeve member on a shaft, and a pair of arcuately shaped peripheral blade members of substantially cylindrical, external contour, and of hollow construction, and means for hingedly mounting said peripheral blade members along one edge of each, on the opposite edges respectively of said central blade member, to provide a reel assembly of substantially cylindrical contour, and means for maintaining the free edges of said peripheral blade members in spaced relation to said central blade member, thereby to provide between said peripheral and central blade members a pair of oppositely extending slots, adapted to receive therein an end of strip material to be coiled, said spacing means comprising metal bars extending between the ends respectively of each of said peripheral blade members and said central blade member, and pin connected thereto respectively, thereby to permit of relative lateral expansions and contractions of said blade members without setting up stresses therein and therebetween.

6. A coiling reel of the character described, comprising: a central blade member having means for mounting on a shaft for rotation therewith, a pair of arcuately shaped peripheral blade members disposed respectively on opposite sides of said central blade member and substantially covering same, each of said peripheral blade members being pivotally mounted on said central blade member to afford relative angular movement therebetween, said peripheral blade members having oppositely disposed free edges each of which together with said central blade member defines a space for receiving an end of strip material to be coiled, and means for maintaining the free edges of each peripheral blade member in spaced relation with respect to said central blade member, said means permitting of relatively transverse displacement between said members.

7. A coiling reel of the character described. comprising: a central blade member mounted on a shaft for rotation therewith and having a plurality oi edges thereon, a plurality of peripheral blade members respectively mounted along one edge thereof to the plurality of edges on said central blade member to afford relative angular movement between the central blade member and the peripheral blade members and each of said peripheral blade members being mounted with its free edge facing in the same direction peripherally of said central blade member, and means for maintaining each of said plurality of peripheral blade members and said central blade member spaced apart throughout the maior extent of contiguous surfaces thereof, thereby providing peripheral slots for receiving the leading edge of material to be coiled.

8. A ceiling reel of the character described, comprising: a central blade member having means thereon for mounting on a shaft and having a material engaging surface, a peripheral blade member, means hingedly mounting said peripheral blade member at one edge thereof to said central blade member with the inner face thereof adjacent but spaced from said material engaging surface and at least one rigid spacing member for maintaining a substantially fixed spacing between said blade members, said spacing member being connected between said peripheral blade member and said central blade member and being pivotally connected to said blade members.

9. A coiling reel of the character described, comprising: a rotatable central blade member having means thereon for mounting on a shaft and having a material engaging surface extending on both si es of its axis of rotation, a peripheral blade member, means hingedly mounting said peripheral blade member at one edge thereof to said central blade member on one side of said axis of rotation, said peripheral blade member being mounted with its inner face adjacent but spaced from said material engaging surface and with its opposite edge on the opposite side of said axis of rotation, and means for maintaining the free edge of said peripheral blade member in spaced relation to said central blade member, thereby to provide a slot for reception therein of an end of strip material to be coiled.

JOHN F. FERM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,116,057 Yoder May 3. 1938 

